Just a chair…

How many of us are vowing to start exercising after our wonderfully, over-the-top, calorie loaded, Thanksgiving Day?  Are we checking out Black Friday exercise equipment offerings today?  Or maybe looking into getting a gym membership for a Christmas present. 
When I was a little girl my Grandma would sometimes stay with us.  Grandma was getting older and a little thick around the waist.  My ever health conscious mom was doing everything she could to keep her from gaining any more weight.  We’d line up chairs across the living room floor, one for each of us, and turn on the old green tube television to exercise with Jack LaLanne. 

Here was this muscular guy with what sounded like an accent to me, in a jump suit and ballet slippers, urging us to get up off the couch and MOVE!  We’d stand behind our chair and kick our legs.  Then hold on while doing deep knee bends.  Then we’d sit on the chair and pull our legs in, kick out, lift and hold… The funniest was the face contortions to firm up the face muscles.  No face lifts for this generation.    
He’d say things like “Anything in life is possible if you make  it happen” and “The food you eat today is walking and talking tomorrow”.  Apparently he was onto something about how to live, since he lived to the ripe old age of 96.
Last weekend, when grandson Dakota was with us, I fixed all of the wrong things – bagels, fried foods, lots of potatoes, and *horrors* bought ice cream.  Central Dairy Muddy Waters ice cream.  For those of you who are not from this area do not know what you are missing.  Central Dairy Ice Cream is the best ever!  Anyway, I told Dakota that Grandpa and I needed to get back into the habit of going to the gym.  He couldn’t believe his grandparents have a gym membership at all… which got me to thinking about how my parents and grandparents exercised, which got me to thinking about Jack Lalanne and our fun afternoons in the living room.  It’s strange how the mind works – or at least how my mind works.  Now if I could just get my body moving in as many different directions and as quickly as my mind.
No, I haven’t gone back to the gym (yet), and the kitchen chairs are still where the belong, pushed in under the kitchen table.  But you just never know when motivation will hit. 

In the meantime, I think I’ll join Dakota and Whiskey on the floor, relaxing in front of the wood stove.  Move over guys, I’m coming in.

Let's all be thankful and grin

It is a time to give thanks.  I have a great deal to be thankful for.  The list can be simplified by saying I am thankful for my family, friends, God and Country.  Not necessarily in that order. 

Here is hoping each and every one of you have a Happy Thanksgiving. 

Click on the below video if you want a silly grin pasted across your face as you head into the holiday season.

Answers and what I loved about this week

In  response to comments and questions on previous post:

• The metal roof is a very dark green and matches the greenhouse portion of the house and the garage.  We are now color coordinated again
• I absolutely adore the sound of rain on a metal roof.  I've even been known to go to the loft to work when it is raining just so I could hear it on the roof!
• Travis does NOT have a tattoo.  The spot on his arm is the wind chime hanging there.
• The neighbor came and got her horse back.  Our fences are not adequate for horses, having been designed for sheep.  Unfortunately, obviously hers aren't either.
• She said the other horse was shot (don't know where she found it back).  Deer hunters?  Disgruntled neighbor?  I guess we'll never know.
• The mums are definitely dead.  Wish I could tell you I gave them a proper burial, but.. .
• Travis did not conquer the leaves.  That is not possible!
• Bailey is too lazy to attack.  Kind of like me.
• The roofers are back today.  Since they didn't fall off last week, I trust they won't today.  It is much less windy.
• Whiskey is like the energizer Chihuahua - never wears out
• I love where we live.  It is our own little oasis.

What I loved this week:

• Discovering when I kissed Austin on the cheek and he swiped at the spot, that he was not wiping my kiss off, but rather rubbing it in
• Grandparents day at Allen's school.  We (the two Grandma's) decorated a turkey with him.  He seems to have a great teacher and was all smiles and hugs.
• A sweaty hug from Travis after his first wrestling skirmish of the year.
• The fact that Jim noticed I had my hair colored this week
• Sitting on the front porch with Jim late at night, swaddled in a blanket, talking and listening to the wind howl
• Dakota wanting to spend the weekend with us while his mom and dad were out of town - even if he did have the motive of wanting to go to a birthday party
• Getting a rush embroidery job done ahead of schedule
• Visiting with a friend who has been very sick
• Making the difficult decision with our friends that we are no longer going to continue our annual Christmas open house (a ten year run) - and sending out a Christmas card telling everyone so. 
• Learning that Uncle Cy is in town and I will get to see him, and many other family who I don't get to see very often, next week.
• Reading Susan Vreeland's book Clara and Mr. Tiffany (awesome book!)
• Working on my scrapbooks and card making

So, what made you smile this week?

What’s been going on in my world…

Where have I been, you ask?  Life is out of control.  But you don’t want all of the gory details, now, do you?  I didn’t think so.  Instead I’ll just leave you with a glimpse of my world this past week.
This guy showed up to spend a few days with us. Since many neighbors have horses, it took quite a few calls before we figured out where the prison break took place.  She belongs to the one neighbor we didn’t call, because she is known to not take very good care of her animals and this ol’ gal looked very well groomed.  I guess we should have known, though, because our neighbor’s fences are atrocious.  It turns out she had two rescue horses.  Had is the key word.  This one ended up in our field.  The other one she found dead.  I’m thinking she doesn’t need to be rescuing any more horses.

This guy showed up too, but unlike the horse, he was invited.  It is amazing how helpful a 15 year old can be.  Thank you for all of your help, Travis.  Hopefully all the running we did with you (and driving practice!) made up for it.

I do believe the mums are done for this year. 
 

We are getting a metal roof put on the house, thanks to hail damage this last spring and summer.  You would not have caught me on that roof with the wind whipping around like that.  Shoot, who am I kidding?  You would never get me on the roof!  Period.

Bailey never changes.  She just stays lazy, with an attitude.

My roses are going for the last hurrah of summer.  Isn’t this one beautiful?  The scent is oh so sweet.

And Whiskey keeps us entertained every night as he plays catch with his many toys.  He is so spoiled!

I haven’t been around the blogs much lately, but that will change soon I’m sure.  It is too hard to stay away!  Have a great weekend all.

Thank you

Thank you to all of our brave men and women who serve the United States of America in the Military.

I have written and deleted and written and deleted.  It all sounds almost trite.  The USA is in danger in spite of all of the efforts of our military.  Our Government is killing us. 

So today I not only say a prayer of thanks for our Veterans, but also a prayer for guidance for our leaders.

As I reflect this morning, I am reminded of a business trip I took to Washington many years ago.  There was very little time for sight seeing.  But on a very hot summer day we walked to the Vietnam Memorial.  As we got closer, the impact took our breath away.  The heat coming off the sidewalk rose up to meet the rows and rows of names in black.  Mementos lined the base of the memorial.  Flowers, boots, plaques, medals... I've never felt more proud and yet helpless in my life.  Tears streamed down my face at the realization of how many lives were lost - and that was only one of many wars.

God Bless America.

Grumpy Gus

Yesterday's post prompted some name calling.  I'll own up to starting it by calling myself a Grumpy Gus.

Chicagolady really got it going by questioning what is the opposite of Grumpy Gus.

 Then things got rolling with Iggy's vivid mind, having had all of the cobwebs blown out with much fresh air.

He offered up  Smilin' Sally? Laughin' Larry? Jolly Jill?  And then admitted the controversy was going to make him Insane Iggy!

But it doesn't stop there, because Alice Kay wanted to see the smile, which isn't going to happen since I am sitting here with my hair sticking up ever which way after another tossing/turning night - so I will dub myself Tosseled Tildy this morning.

But if you had see me grinning yesterday, you might have called me Dopey Deanna.

So what say you?  Anybody else want to weigh in on the name calling?  What name would best describe you today?

It's in the air...

You might ask, "What's in the air?"

Is it pollin?  Or maybe that four letter word L O V E?  Or holiday cheer?

I woke up this morning in a rotten mood.  I had not slept well, needed to help my brother work through the complications of credits for tech support that hadn't supported his computer problems, and charges for the support that was good, and then deciding on a new computer since the final answer was that the mother board on his old computer had thrown craps.  (How's that for a run-on sentence...)  Never mind the fact that I thought my own lap top had died.  Yet when I took it in to have it looked at it booted up just fine.  I get it back tomorrow, having opted to have some maintenance done on the ol' gal.

So what is in the air?  Well, I'm convinced this blustery day blew KINDNESS my way.  It was in the air all around me.  Even though I was a grumpy gus, everybody else was smiling, patient, holding doors, saying "have a good day", and just generally being nice!  I couldn't help but be nice back.  By the time I got home this afternoon, I actually had a smile on my face and was humming a tune.

So tomorrow when I wake up in a good mood (instead of the bad mood of today), I'm going to remember to share my smile with the first grumpy gus I run across.  Because I was reminded today what I already knew, smiles are contageous.  I might even hold open a door or two.

Day Trip to Louisiana (Missouri, that is)

We've been wanting to go to Louisiana, Mo to visit the studio of artist John Stoeckley for quite some time.

Last Wednesday was tailor made for just such a short road trip.  What a great day we had!

If you click on the link above, you can see some of John's art work - Reflections of Missouri.  We live in a beautiful State, and it always makes me smile with pride when someone honors that beauty in works of art.  Since we have visited many of the places he showcases, we stood and drooled for a very long time.  John was the only other person in the shop and spent as much time as we wanted with us, just visiting, answering questions, and telling stories. 

An extra bonus of this trip is Louisiana, MO itself.  What a pretty little sleepy town.  If you would like to see more, just click on the video below, sit back, and enjoy!

Bailey and the Titmouse

Tread carefully.   All who enter here must get past me, and I take my job very, very seriously.

Cat?  What cat?


Purrrrrr-fect.  Be vewy, vewy, quiet. 

That fat cat can’t jump THIS high!  Right?

     Eh?  What’s that you say?  There’s a puddy tat out there?

Don’t worry tweetie, that tat don’t scare me…

 
   Just hangin’ out here at the Diner.  Come  join me.  The atmosphere is great.  So is the food.

Did you say Diner?  I’m more thinking DINNER… 

Well now, that’s 2 minutes of your life that you’ll never get back.  Hope you enjoyed!